Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Fourteen | Killian

Entering the building immediately brought relief from the cold outside. Jasper locked the door behind them, just for good measure. Hopefully no biters had gone overlooked when they'd searched the premises. The building was rectangular in shape, with the bar running along the longer length of the wall. Alcohol was still stocked well on the shelves behind it, neatly displayed, to Killian's surprise. Farther down the room was the lounge area. There was a pool table and a light fixture above. Glass on the floor suggested that the bulbs had blown out long ago. Across from the pool table was a large circular rug, tattered at the corners. Two couches splayed out, with an old television hanging on the wall.  

Despite the bar having some comfortable décor, being in a place like this sent shudders down Killian's spine. Even though he knew there was nothing here to hurt him, he couldn't itch away the feeling of danger crawling over his skin constantly. With Harley, Chris and Aubrey settling down over by the couches, Killian would at least have some sort of privacy to tend to Jasper without having to listen to their chattering.

With a strained huff, Jasper settled himself down on the floor and winced, shrugging off his now blood-stained jacket. Killian knit his brows together with concern; there was no way a few shards of glass would cause that much bleeding. Jasper's shirt was covered in dark, scarlet stains as well, but it was heavier towards the bottom. The man painstakingly removed his shirt as well, clenching his jaw and squinting through the pain. "Shit..." Jasper mumbled suddenly. He moved his hand a bit, lifting his arm. There was a long, deep gash on his ribs and towards his back. 

Immediately, Killian sat down next to the other man and let his bag drop from his shoulders. He opened it up, rummaging through the contents until he was able to find the rest of the medical supplies. "Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?" Killian hissed sharply, not wanting to catch too much attention from the others. 

"I didn't know it was," Jasper replied earnestly, "I was just relieved I hadn't been bitten." Killian didn't like the nonchalant tone in the other man's voice. Did Jasper not see how dangerous even just one small injury could be? An infection could mean death within a few days. 

The smaller shards of glass were easily shaken off of Jasper's shirt and jacket, but a few were stuck there in his skin. Those could do without stitches, they weren't too deep. He'd have to see about the one on Jasper's ribs, though. A small part of Killian wanted to be angry with Jasper, but he knew that wouldn't result in anything but a back and forth argument. Jasper couldn't have helped himself much...that crowbar had been ripped from his hands, as he'd said when they started moving again. But the thing that made Killian more angry was the fact that Jasper hadn't told him just how hurt he'd been. Why would the other man insist on continuing their journey while he was so injured? 

"You're lucky we're in a bar," Killian muttered, his tone cross. "We can use whatever alcohol is left to try and disinfect the wounds." He wrinkled his nose with distaste. Just the thought of touching a bottle made him feel sick, but he'd do it if it meant keeping infection away from Jasper's open wounds. "It won't be good for your skin or actually healing it, but I'd rather you be as free from getting ill as possible." 

A sharp flinch from Jasper's muscles caught Killian's attention. He hadn't realized just how athletic the other man really was, not up close at least. Jasper's shoulders were broad and powerful, chiseled and what Killian would describe as perfect. As he pulled the largest shard of glass from Jasper's skin carefully, he saw the other man's body tensing up gradually. A nervous chuckle came from the other man, "I didn't know you were such a good nurse, Boy Scout. When'd you learn all of this?" 

Ignoring Jasper's question, Killian hesitantly set a hand between the man's shoulder blades, making sure to keep his touch gentle and calming. "Relax," He demanded. "Or else it'll hurt more than it has to." With that one action, a shudder ran down Jasper's spine, but the man relaxed almost instantly afterwards. Those butterflies returned to Killian's stomach, and he had to clear his throat to stop himself from smiling. 

Eventually Killian had pulled all of the glass out of Jasper's wounds. Aubrey brought over the most potent vodka she could find from the shelf of alcohol behind the bar. Killian took a clean rag from the medical supplies Cohen had sent with them, and doused it in alcohol and some water from his own bottle. Jasper was an almost silent patient, calm and tolerant of everything Killian did. Every time he let out a pained grunt or winced, Killian felt a bit guilty, but this had to be done whether it hurt or not. 

When Jasper's back was all patched up, Killian took the bandages they had and cut two in half with a clean knife, just to save some in case somebody else got hurt as well, and set them over the wounds. "Turn over, let me see your side." He demanded. Jasper did as he said, muttering a quiet complaint as he did so, much to Killian's annoyance. But when he saw just how exhausted Jasper's face looked, all of his annoyance fell away and was quickly replaced with sympathy. Jasper needed some sleep as soon as possible, he knew. "You can sleep after these stitches are done, yea? I'll keep watch in your place tonight." Before Jasper could protest Killian shot him a glare, and the other man fell silent with an impish smile. 

Those beautiful, crystalline blue eyes looked up at him for what felt like forever, even though Killian knew it must have only been a few seconds. Jasper said softly, "Thank you. For everything." A large yawn split his lips as he laid his head down. The tuft of hair on his head fell in front of his face, and Jasper closed his eyes peacefully. "Don't know what I'd do without you, Boy Scout." Killian could already see that Jasper was drifting off, so he got started on the stitches as quickly as he could. In the end, they'd run out of stitches about a little over halfway done, so he just had to cover the rest with a bandage and hope for the best. 

With Jasper sound asleep, Killian's gaze lingered on the other man, admiring him. For a few seconds Killian had forgotten all about those confusing emotions, as the world seemed to fade away. Jasper was the only thing he could think about. He stared, finding himself with the sudden urge to memorize every single one of the other man's features. He wanted to remember every part of him. Every smile, every glint in those blue eyes, every single moment they spent together. Killian wanted all of it stored away in his memory, safe from anything that might steal it away from him. 

For the longest time, Killian was frightened of those emotions, the want to be close to somebody. If he was close to somebody--it would no doubt cause pain. Even remembering the way Jackson had betrayed him took his breath away and nearly brought him to tears. This world was dark and frightening. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want to be hurt either. Every person he'd ever trusted hurt him one way or another. Even Jasper, when the other man insisted on leaving with the group--leaving Killian behind with Jackson and the gang. Alone with his thoughts, Killian wasn't sure what to begin with. 

Turning and facing his emotions was something that always brought chaos to both him and all of the people close to him. He didn't want to hurt Jasper, but in his worry, would he by accident? With Jasper sleeping next to him, Killian felt safer. Safer than he had in a long, long time--safer than he had maybe in his whole life. Jasper was somebody he trusted, somebody he wanted to be close to. The emotions clouding his mind were murky and confusing, foreign and unrecognizable, to the point of fear. Jasper made him vulnerable, and vulnerability was always bad, wasn't it? 

That time he'd spent with Jasper in the woods back at the farmhouse though...he had been very, very vulnerable. Jasper hadn't hurt him at all when given the chance. No, he'd made Killian feel better. But if he trusted Jasper so much, why was he so scared? He needed advice, much as he hated to admit it. Talking to Jasper about these feelings--what if they were bad? Then he would hurt Jasper. That was the last thing he wanted. He couldn't trust anybody else, either. Taking a deep breath, Killian narrowed his brows, shoving all of his thoughts aside. As Aubrey went to tuck in for the night, it was his turn to keep watch.   

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the night, other than a small group of biters chasing after some rats that clung close to the walls of the building, then dragging their prey off elsewhere. When Chris woke up and gave Killian a silent nod to get some rest, Killian replied with a grateful sigh and curled up in a comfy corner close to Jasper. He tucked his nose into his shirt in an attempt not to smell the alcohol in the air, still potent from when he'd disinfected Jasper's wounds. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep. That night though, he had no dreams. Only nightmares.